Campaigning in the Eastleigh by-election has begun with the party leaders expected in town as the battle hots up.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander joined Liberal Democrat activists in their headquarters, a unit on an industrial estate close to the station, as they prepared to fight to keep the seat vacated by Chris Huhne.

Mr Alexander told Sky News that the party leader Nick Clegg and the Business Secretary Vince Cable would both be campaigning ahead of what is predicted to be a tough by-election battle.

The Eastleigh by-election is on February 28

Mr Alexander said their focus would be on local issues: "When people look at the track record of the Liberal Democrats in Eastleigh, they will look at the 20 years we have been running the local authority here, keeping council tax rises down consistently without reducing local services unlike the Conservatives."

They have selected the local councillor Mike Thornton to fight the by-election. Mr Thornton has been a parish and borough councillor since 2007.

The Prime Minister David Cameron is also expected to lend a hand in the fight, as will Labour leader Ed Miliband.

But on the streets of Eastleigh it was UKIP's Nigel Farage who captivating voters, holding court outside a coffee shop in the town centre.

Speaking to Sky News he said: "We come into this by-election at a higher level than we started in Corby, Rotherham or in Middlesbrough and if we can get the sort of momentum going as we did in those then it could be an interesting three or four way marginal."

UKIP's Nigel Farage says the "years of mockery" for his party are over

He said: "If you go and knock on 100 doors here in Eastleigh and tell them that they will pay £50m-a-day to Europe for the next seven years they will think that's not a good deal."

He also said that "the years of mockery and derision" for the party were over since he had been UKIP's first ever candidate in another Eastleigh by-election in 1994 - coming second to last and just in front of the Monster Raving Loony Party.

The by-election follows the resignation of outgoing Liberal Democrat MP Mr Huhne after he pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice following revelations he had persuaded his wife to take his speeding points.

Labour MP John Denham joined campaigners to leaflet in the town and told Sky News it would be a tough fight but they were hopeful of being an alternative for voters.

He said: "I think people here are very angry about what happened with Chris Huhne. They were told last time vote for him to keep the Tories out, they elected him and he immediately joined the Conservatives, supported millionaires tax cuts and supported their economic polices.

Huhne resigned after lying about getting his wife to take speeding points

"Labour is a positive choice for the people who voted Lib Dem, Tory or UKIP last time. What we are going to see is Lib Dems and Tories blaming each other for everything that's gone wrong in this country. A vote for Labour one nation one Labour, is saying we want something different and things can be different."

The author and broadcaster John O'Farrell has announced on Twitter that he was going to put himself forward to be the Labour candidate for the by-election.

Although the other parties were in the town centre the Tories decided to kick off their campaigning in the well-heeled suburb of Bursledon, just outside Eastleigh.

Maria Hutchings, a eurosceptic, is the Tory candidate

The Conservative candidate, Maria Hutchings, who lost out to Chris Huhne in 2010, was joined by Tory MP Chris Grayling as they posted leaflets through letterboxes with the slogan "Vote for a local MP you can trust."

The mother-of-four, a staunch eurosceptic, said in her campaign pledge: "My family knows what it's like to watch every penny as the bills hit the doormat. I back plans to take the lowest paid out of tax altogether.

"I know how important every penny is for most families, I worry about making our income last until the end of the month and anything the government can do to help ease the cost of everyday life is important to me and many others across Eastleigh."

But the key quality people in Eastleigh were looking for in their MP was honesty.

Former Lib Dem councillor Tracy Vincent said: "You just can't trust any of them. Look at what happened with Chris Huhne who knows what else is going on. I think people are getting fed up with all MPs."

The Lib Dems held the seat in the 2010 General Election with a majority of 3,684. The by-election will take place on February 28.